Spectators hurt as stand roof blows off

At least four England supporters suffered minor injuries on the final day of the first Test at Kandy, when the corrugated-iron roof of their stand blew off in high winds and landed on the seats below. According to eye-witnesses, one male supporter was taken to hospital with a gash to his chest, while three others suffered minor cuts and bruises.

"To be honest, I'm feeling nervous sitting here," said Steve Lindley, an England fan out here for all three Tests, who was hit in the small of the back by the falling sheets of iron. He and his fellow fans had been sitting in the special enclosure at the Hunnasgiriya End of the ground, which was quickly evacuated after the incident.

"There was no real sign that they were going to come off," Lindley told Cricinfo. "We were looking towards another stand where they were starting to blow off, but then there was a gust and three sheets all came off together. They came straight down onto the group of us sitting there."

One girl was taken for a medical check-up after receiving a gash to her shin, while another male supporter cut his leg on a concrete support in the rush to clear the seats. None of the injuries are
believed to be serious, but Lindley intended to get a check-up during the lunch interval. "My back is quite sore now, and if at any point it gets worse ... you never know with bruising."

The area was soon cleared, as local maintenance men set about removing the other loose sheets on the roof. "They went up there with bare feet, no safety equipment, and just dropped them down," said Lindley. "One lad nearly dropped a sheet on his mate. There was no regard for
safety. "